Charles Foster Kane
Charles Foster Kane (1863-1941) was an American newspaper magnate who built the nation’s largest newspaper chain and whose methods profoundly influenced American journalism. Early Life Charles Foster Kane was born of humble origins in the small settlement of Little Salem, Colorado, circa 1863. A mine given to his parents — to settle a bill for room and board — happened to be rich in gold, making the family suddenly wealthy. In 1871, Kane's mother put him under the guardianship of a New York City banker named Walter Parks Thatcher, who raised him in luxury until he became an adult. However, Kane blamed Thatcher for ripping him away from his family. In acts of rebellion, he attended prestigious colleges such as Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and Cornell — and got himself expelled from all of them. The New York Inquirer As an adult, Kane took control of a Thatcher-owned newspaper called the New York Inquirer, thinking that "it might be fun to run a newspaper". His first act as the paper's new owner was to publish a "declaration of principles", stating his duty to be truthful to his readers. However, he almost immediately began using yellow journalism tactics to blow stories out of proportion, encourage a war with Spain, and thwart Thatcher's political goals and business interests — including ones Kane held stock in. Kane also hired staff members away from the rival Chronicle newspaper, regarding them as collectibles. To finance the initially fledgling Inquirer, Kane used his personal resources; this allowed him to operate it, even at a million dollar annual loss, for decades. First Marriage Kane eventually married Emily Monroe Norton, the niece of the then president of the United States. Unfortunately, the marriage soured as Kane's wealth and power fed his megalomaniacal ego. As his popularity and fortune increased, Kane ran for Governor of New York against reputedly corrupt boss J. W. Gettys. An election victory was almost certain until Gettys revealed evidence of Kane's affair with a young "singer" named Susan Alexander. Gettys blackmailed Kane, meeting with him and his wife at Susan's apartment. Kane, however, refused to drop out of the race despite Gettys' leverage. As a result, the scandal went public and Kane lost the election decisively. Furthermore, his best friend, Jedediah Leland, became profoundly disillusioned at Kane's haughty arrogance — first by humiliating his family, and then by treating the electorate like his personal property — insisting on being transferred to Kane's Chicago paper to stay away from him. Second Marriage Emily divorced Kane in 1916, and died two years later in a car crash with their son. Kane married Susan and forced her into a doomed and humiliating career as an opera singer, even though such performances were seriously out of her depth. This effort cost Kane more than money when Jedediah Leland, now a drama critic for the Chicago Inquirer, refused to follow the company line praising Alexander's performances. Leland became too drunk at the difficult task of writing a truthful review against his friend's wishes, and fell into a stupor. Kane, while visiting the paper's newsroom, famously finished the review with the negative tone intact to prove to Leland that he still had integrity. However, he simultaneously fired Leland for not indulging his obsession. In retaliation, Leland refused his severance package and mailed back the torn up check, along with the original copy of Kane's "declaration of principles" to show that he had no integrity. Kane then tore it up in anger. Retirement After the despondent Susan attempted suicide, Kane released her from her disastrous operatic career and retired to Xanadu, his gigantic Gothic chateau in Florida. Susan was unable to stand the monotonous routine inside the cavernous mansion and Kane's increasingly domineering nature, and eventually left him. The business downturns of the Great Depression — as well as Kane's excessive spending habits on the crumbling and unfinished Xanadu — cost Kane much of his control of his media empire, which he was forced to sell to Thatcher. Kane, however, still had considerable wealth. He returned to Xanadu and became a recluse, living alone and remaining estranged from all of his friends. Kane died of old age in 1941, uttering the cryptic word "Rosebud". Category:People Category:Pages